Subversion
by ViiA01
Summary: Sakura was Konoha's golden girl, perfectly polished with a shiny smile to match. But as she looked up at him, playing at innocent with big eyes, plush lower lip caught between her teeth, Shisui thinks maybe he doesn't know a goddamn thing about Sakura Haruno. And that's almost as sexy as that super strength of hers. It's not love, but it sure is fun.
1. Chapter 1: Draw the Line

so its garbage because there's no porn

which

says a lot about me tbh

anyway

enjoy scrubs

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Chapter 1: Draw the Line

Her night with Ino had ended an hour or so ago, the blonde flopping and well past drunk when Sakura had tucked her into bed. But Sakura wasn't quite ready to turn in for the night, metabolism bolstered by her chakra and burning off the alcohol in her system.

So she'd headed to the training grounds, a little restless. She hadn't had time to herself in so long, let alone the time to do more than some basic weights, and drills. Her training had definitely suffered since she had taken on more work at the hospital and she was excited to be outside again.

Sakura relished the feel of her chakra thrumming through her hands, not, for once, with the healing chakra she used at the hospital, but rather just pure, destructive chakra in its natural form.

The tree trunk shattered under her fist, shards of wood flying past her face. Sakura let it fall, dancing out of the way. As it hit the ground, it shook the ground, leaves showering the ground and her hair.

Shaking her head to get them out of hair, Sakura glanced back at the glow to the west. The outskirts of the village were nearly four kilometres away, far enough that any tremors she did make wouldn't be too noticeable.

Biting her lip, Sakura threw caution to the wind. Surely it would be okay.

She hadn't really let loose since she, Naruto and Sasuke had last trained, and that was months ago. Sasuke was busy at the police station all the time, readying himself to apprentice under his uncle in preparation to take over, and Naruto was training to take the Jonin Sensei exam.

Sakura toed off her sandals, stacking them neatly under a tree. They were very comfortable, and they made her ankles look all lovely and slender, but they were also over a hundred dollars and Sakura wasn't about to tear one of the delicate straps being reckless.

The grass was cool under her feet and she laced her fingers behind her back, stretching the tight muscles of her shoulders.

She tapped her foot on the ground, glancing at the village once more.

It would be fine.

Sakura leapt into the air, enjoying the cool night air on her skin. She drew chakra to her fist.

Destructive chakra always had a different feel to her healing chakra, more harsh and jagged, just a little easier to control.

She came down with a loud yell, slamming her fist down into the packed hard soil. It impacted down with the force, and the hard bedrock Konoha was built on shattered and cracked, the earth heaving upwards with a loud groan.

Sakura grinned, dodging around the chunks of earth, enjoying the burn in her legs as she was forced to jump and leap from rock to rock. In the distance, she could hear trees falling with the tell tale snap and groan of wood breaking.

She brought her heel down on a jagged chunk of rock, splitting in two and sending more dust and shards of rock into the air. She spun, kicking the one to her right into the dense forest that surrounded this training field.

It carved a deep trench in the ground, snapping right through several tall trees like they were matchsticks, knocking even more leaves to the ground.

Sakura couldn't help a self-satisfied huff at the destruction she had wrought. Her limbs were looser now, blood thrumming eagerly. The only thing missing was an opponent.

She thought about summoning a clone but dismissed it with a shake of her head. She couldn't hit her clones with her full strength, or they disappeared, and it was no fun to hold back in a spar.

She knocked over a piece of rock that was almost as tall as Kakashi-sensei, smiling a little bit childishly at the loud thump it produced.

* * *

Sakura leapt forward; fist raised and arms slick with sweat.

As it had every other time she had done it, the ground heaved under her assault, new formations of rock and earth exploding into the air. The trees around her groaned and toppled, branches crashing against one another and trunks snapping.

Sakura slammed her way through one with a sharp kick, and another with a clenched fist and a loud yell.

By the time she landed on the other end of the training grounds, the formerly pristine landscape was unrecognisable, trees lying in heaps or reduced to splinters, and the ground a mess of boulders, and jagged spires of rock.

She didn't envy the poor groundskeeper tasked with restoring it to its former glory, but even as she stood there, chest heaving and a smile on her face, Sakura couldn't find it in her to care.

She hadn't done this in so long, and she'd forgotten just how good it felt.

Sakura sighed, stretching her arms over her head and a cool breeze brushed over her sweat slicked skin, nice and cool. She flexed her ankle, testing the roll of her knee, and she noticed that her skirt was torn.

The straight linen skirt had split, following the one already cut into the material, almost to the top of her thigh. Sakura huffed at the torn flaps, pulling the edges together ruefully. It wasn't expensive, but it was one of her best skirts for a night out.

And to think she hadn't even noticed it ripping in the first place.

Sakura scowled and considered the tear, wondering if she could do a quick patch job. It would never be the same, but she hadn't had any luck finding a skirt anywhere close to this one in terms of fit.

Her back of her neck tingled.

She was being watched.

Sakura cast her senses wide, like Ino had taught her. It was so faint that Sakura almost missed it, but there was a chakra signature that was just barely there, almost perfectly indistinguishable from the rest of the forest.

Behind her, high in the trees.

Sakura spun, flicking up a piece of jagged rock off the ground with her foot and then kicking it into the tree line where she could sense the faint presence. She narrowed her eyes as the rock tore through the branches, leaves showering the ground.

A moment later, she heard a dull thump that told her the rock had lodged in something, and a nesting bird took off in fright, wingbeats loud in the night air.

She waited a beat and then, a shadowy figured dropped out of the leaves, landing on the ground. The porcelain of his white mask, painted with the visage of a grinning blue cat was the first thing she saw.

Sakura straightened immediately. An ANBU appearing was never a good sign. "Captain." She said, not quite able to hide the surprise in her voice.

The ANBU tilted his head. "Jonin Haruno." He greeted.

Sakura waited for him to say more, but he didn't. "Is there a reason you came to see me?" She asked, waiting for him to rattle off an emergency code.

The ANBU made a clicking noise. "Is there a reason you're doing your best to destabilise the foundations?" He retorted, voice losing the blank monotone that was standard for ANBU and turning to something more… playful.

She eyed him curiously. She shifted her weight, turning to face him fully. "Just letting off some steam." She said vaguely. "I should be far enough from the village that no one should be disturbed." She said.

"I was passing through the area." He said. "Not every night you feel a localised earthquake."

Sakura swiped her tongue over her lower lip. "Ah. Not quite an earthquake."

The ANBU cocked his head. "Bad night?" He asked and Sakura knew he was asking about her outfit. Tight shirt, short skirt, abandoned sandals, hardly attire appropriate for training.

"Not really." She said with a shrug. She shifted, waiting for him to tell her to knock it off, or to leave, but he didn't do either of those things. He didn't do either of those things and Sakura grew more curious about why he had come. "Just… Keeping my skills sharp."

What did he want?

"If that's all then, Captain." She said slowly, already backing away to collect her shoes. "I'll be on my way-"

"You know," The ANBU called, and Sakura was definitely not imagining the inflection in his voice, "it's always better when you have a breathing opponent."

That got her attention. She turned, and saw that he had pulled his sword out of its sheath, a clear declaration of his intent

The Cat masked ANBU didn't say anything, but his head did tilt to the side expectantly, and he flicked his blade in a circle absently, obviously waiting for her answer.

Sakura turned around fully, a little confused. "I'm sorry?" She asked, not quite sure if she was reading his words and actions correctly. He wanted to spar with her?

He gestured at the ruined training grounds. "More constructive than just punching rocks." He said, and Sakura knew she wasn't imagining the subtle taunt in his words.

Sakura wasn't able to contain her surprise. He was serious.

He actually wanted to spar with her.

She bit her lip. An invitation to spar with one of the most elite ninja in the village was one hell of a compliment, and Sakura had to admit, she was more than a little flattered by the very fact that he thought she could challenge him.

But even so. He had to have a reason. Sakura didn't know many ANBU, but she didn't think they were the type to go around challenging random Jonin to sparring matches in the middle of the night.

Sakura let her lip go. "Why?" She asked finally. Was this some sort of joke at her expense?

The Cat ANBU made a clicking noise. "Why not?" He asked with a shrug.

"That's not an answer." Sakura pointed out, shifting her weight onto one leg. "It's the middle of the night, and let's not pretend that this would be an even fight."

"I'm not trying to kill you, Jonin Haruno." He said, voice clearly amused. "We would just be sparring."

Sakura swiped her tongue over her teeth. "Why?" She asked again, unfolding her arms and letting her hands drop to her side. "And a real answer this time, or I'm walking away." She said, more bold than she would normally be with a superior.

But then, she had never had a superior approach her like this. And there was just something about the way he spoke that made Sakura think that this might not be such an innocent interaction.

She watched him curiously, waiting for her answer.

The Cat ANBU made a short huffing noise. "Why?" He repeated. "Because you crushed that boulder like it was butter. You kicked a rock so hard it went through four trees before it stopped."

Sakura shifted when he refocused on her, unused to attention like this. The grin on the mask seemed to widen and the small slitted eye holes seemed to bore into her. The conversation had definitely shifted from cold greetings between strangers to something a little darker, a little more playful.

"I've never seen strength like that before." He said, incredibly candid. He shrugged. "And you don't move like any ninja I've seen before."

Sakura shifted, warmth blooming in her stomach.

It was an odd feeling.

She was often complimented on her skills, her strength, but they weren't like this. Naruto called her strength monstrous. He didn't appreciate it so much as he was scared of it.

But this ANBU didn't seem like that.

"So… What? You want to try your luck?" She asked, taking a step towards him despite the little voice in her head insisting if she did this she would only be humiliated.

"If I wanted to try my luck, I'd go somewhere else." He said. "It's just a spar."

Sakura eyed the ANBU. "Is it?" She asked sceptically.

He didn't answer her.

The thought was tantalising. She'd never fought an ANBU before. And what could it hurt? She wasn't going to win, but wasn't she just thinking that she wished she had an opponent that would hit her back, one that she could really push herself with.

Still… there was a part of her that wondered if he didn't have better things to do.

"And you don't have… _anything_ else to do." She said, unable to hide her smile at all as she gestured to his uniform. "Nothing at all."

"Not really." He replied easily. "You're welcome to say no, Jonin Haruno," He said lightly, waving a hand.

Sakura eyed him, eyebrow rising at the sudden about face.

"Go back to punching rocks, chasing clones around." He finished, looking over at her. And even if she couldn't see the expression on his face, she could just feel the smug arrogance radiating off of him. "I'm sure it's a _real_ challenge, Jonin Haruno."

She knew what he was doing. Goading her into a fight, pushing her buttons to get what he wanted. But she never was one to back down from such an insult.

Maybe she wouldn't win. But she could take him down a few notches.

She glanced over at her shoes, still under the tree. Hadn't she wanted an opponent earlier? "Alright." She said, walking away from them to stand opposite him on the relatively flat patch of undisturbed soil. "Fine."

The grin on his mask seemed to widen even more, wicked sharp teeth gleaming, as if it was laughing at her. He flicked the sword in another arc of silver, and she noticed the way he straightened, the way his weight fell back onto his right leg in preparation.

Sakura eyed the short sword in his left hand. She was already at a disadvantage. She knew her skills well, knew she was among the strongest kunoichi in the village, but ANBU were on a different level when it came to fighting.

A weapon just gave him one more advantage.

"On one condition." She decided suddenly.

He cocked his head to the side expectantly.

"Hand to hand only." She said.

He let out a short, breathy laugh, husky and full. "That's not going to help you win." He said, assured and confident even as he sheathed his sword.

Sakura cracked her knuckles. "I'm not going to pull my punches." She told him, unable to keep from rocking forward on the balls of her feet, already eager for the fight. She hadn't trained in a long time, not with another warm body, and she was ready to shake off the rust.

The ANBU clicked his tongue. "Good." He said. "I don't want you to."

Before either of them could move however, four kunai embedded themselves in the dirt between them, neat and evenly spaced. A fifth, the cat masked ANBU deflected with a kunai she hadn't seen him draw and it thumped into the ground by his feet.

A moment later, a loud, high pitched whistle.

Sakura was no ANBU, but she knew enough about their protocols to figure out that her would-be sparring partner had lied to her.

Seems he did have things to do after all.

She struggled not to laugh at the absurdity of it. A big strong ANBU captain, busted for playing hooky. "You don't have anything else to do." She repeated, failing to keep the laughter out of her voice, smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Nothing at all."

His head snapped around and the smile on seemed displeased this time, sharp teeth almost glowing in the moonlight. "Careful." He warned, but the bite to his voice was not a reprimand so much as it was a low playful growl.

Sakura coughed. "Well." She said, relaxing her stance and backing away a step. "I guess that's your cue?"

He rolled his shoulders in a way that showed off the corded muscle. "Looks that way." He said. "I guess I'll have to collect on that spar another time."

Something like satisfaction rolled over Sakura at the words. She didn't know quite what it was, but the idea of seeing this ANBU again was alluring. "Maybe." She agreed, surprised by how coy her own voice was.

For a moment, neither of them moved, the air still and thick with something that Sakura thought might be attraction.

Finally, he stepped back as well. "As you were, Jonin Haruno." He said, voice just a touch darker.

"Captain." Sakura replied.

He vanished as soon as the word was out of her mouth, and presumably, the other ANBU did as well. Sakura waited a beat, spreading her senses wide, but the odd indistinguishable chakra presence didn't return, and it seemed that she was alone again.

Her stomach was oddly hollow, almost like nervousness, but not quite.

She bent, picking up one of the kunai and spinning it around her finger idly.

Surprisingly, she was feeling more relaxed. Even if it was disappointing she hadn't gotten to spar with him, the whole interaction had been…

She wasn't sure what it was, but she wasn't going to say she didn't like the attention.

As she collected her sandals once more, Sakura wondered if he ever would make good on the spar she'd agreed to.

* * *

Ya girl is gonna sign up for a new gym on Monday

Gotta get a big old swiggity swooty booty

Party in the front, party in the back

But only during business hours


	2. Chapter 2: In the Moment

In Bad Decisions you all asked for Shisui's POV

So here we are.

Also, contrary to the title, we aren't subverting anything. You know exactly what this is.

Enjoy scrubs

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Chapter 2: In the Moment

Shisui was watching the clock, the drone of the Council making for rather irritating background noise.

They had been in here for over an hour, and Shisui hadn't been listening for the last forty five minutes. All he knew was that Lord Minato was getting more and more frustrated, though the Hokage was doing an admirable job at hiding it.

Itachi shifted next to him, head cocked to the side ever so slightly. Picture perfect ANBU.

Shisui would admire the fact that his cousin was actually listening if he wasn't so bored.

Lord Minato leaned back in his chair, folding his arms. A sure sign that even his considerable patience was being tested by the elders.

Shisui still didn't know what they were here for.

"Look, at the end of the day-"

Shisui blinked, glancing over as another ANBU appeared by the window, bear mask almost glowing the early dusk light.

Itachi moved at Lord Minato's head nod, undoing the seal over the window and letting the female ANBU inside. "Report, ANBU." Itachi said blankly. The Hokage's office had been sealed as per protocol, and to interrupt a meeting meant something had gone wrong.

"The prisoner from Wave has broken containment at the hospital." Bear reported, words tinged with urgency.

Well that would do it.

Lord Minato rose, face settling into hard lines. "Cat." He ordered, looking at Shisui with sharp blue eyes. "Honoured Co-"

Shisui didn't stick around to hear the end of it, vanishing out the window.

The trip to the hospital took only moments. Shisui loved running, the feel of moving so quickly the world blurred around him, and the oddness when it seemed to slow and stretch as his Sharingan compensated for him.

He arrived just in time to see the sliding glass doors of the hospital explode outwards.

The rogue ninja slammed into the outer wall of the hospital complex, hard enough to crack the heavy concrete and shake the outer wall surrounding the hospital.

Shisui stumbled when the wall rumbled under his feet, catching himself at the last moment.

Sakura darted out of the hospital doors, and Shisui realised she must have been the one to throw the rogue ninja through the doors in the first place.

The rogue saw her coming and rolled upright. Shisui was surprised he was even able to move after the blow he'd taken, and saw that despite the man's best efforts, he was listing heavily to the left, ribs clearly broken and blood spotting his shirt.

Sakura didn't care, batting aside his sloppy attempt at a guard, and with a high, arching kick she had to have learned from Lady Tsunade, slammed the man into the ground with a loud, deep crack.

The concrete resisted for a brief moment and then cracked and gave under the blow, shattering the tiles and sending cracks spiderwebbing outwards. Dust exploded into the air, and the ground shook again.

Shisui's Sharingan cut through the dust clouding the courtyard, finding Sakura almost without his permission.

He couldn't help it.

Before, Sakura Haruno had been the sweet, kind, if not a little bit short tempered girl that mooned after Sasuke. She was a medic, a capable Jonin, generous with her time. The kind of girl that rocked back and forth on her heels and blushed at the flowers the boys of the village brought her.

Konoha's golden girl.

There was none of that now.

Even after what he had seen last week, his opinion of her hadn't changed.

Not really.

Shisui couldn't help but stare, captivated by the raw strength of her blows. Most kunoichi were strong, but not like that. When he'd come across her the week before, he had just wanted to spar with her, had been curious about the strange way she moved, but now…

Sakura was standing in the middle of the crater she had made, eyes blazing with a palpable rage. Jaw set and hair falling from the short ponytail she had pulled it back into, she looked the part of furious, powerful ninja.

She had the rogue ninja pinned with one foot on his chest, long legs made even longer by the black knee high boots she was wearing, and shapely thighs bared by her short blue skirt.

Now it was a whole different ballgame.

He'd never seen anything quite like her, and lust made his stomach tighten. That might have been the sexiest thing he had ever seen. Even so, he kept it to himself. He was on the clock after all, and so was she.

It didn't stop his blood from heating up at the thought of finally getting to fight this woman, watching those finely honed muscles work up close, see that devastating efficiency for himself.

Sakura flicked her bangs out of her eyes, face clear. She looked over at where he was, no trace of good humour on her face this time. The furious look in her eyes wasn't any less striking though.

Shisui slipped down from the wall. "Jonin Haruno."

"Is this yours?" She demanded, pointing a finger at the man beneath her foot.

"No."

Sakura's eyes narrowed even more. "He could have killed people." She said lowly, voice even and tightly controlled. "As it stands, he broke one of my nurses' arms and destroyed an MRI."

"The Hokage is on his way." Shisui said. "He'll see to it that the lapse in security is dealt with and your injured nurse is properly compensated."

A muscle jumped in her jaw, but she didn't say anything more because the Hokage appeared in the courtyard, flanked by Itachi, Genma, and Bear.

"We needed him alive, Jonin Haruno!" Bear spat, striding forward. "He was a key witness."

Sakura shook the other woman away, matching her anger with a flat expression. "He's alive, don't worry." She snapped back. "I would have been well within my rights to kill him, even if he is a key witness. You let him loose in my hospital! I allowed you to keep here on the condition that there be a full complement of guards to keep this very thing from happening."

"An unfortunate occurrence-"

"One that cannot go overlooked." Lord Minato cut in, cheery and bright, but Shisui could see he was less than pleased with the nights events. "Well done, Sakura. Are there any injuries?"

"One." Sakura said shortly. "Broken arm. He broke one of the MRI's! I don't know if he got into any of the records rooms, if he destroyed anything else-"

"We'll work to get it fixed, Sakura." Lord Minato said patiently. "Bear, find your team. Weasel and Snake will accompany you to find your team and then you will all report to my office."

Bear stiffened, but said nothing, disappearing with Itachi and Genma, back into the hospital to find her missing teammates. In Kakashi's absence, Genma was playing Commander, and it was no secret who Weasel was. Bear's team was in for a bad time.

"We'll take the prisoner from here." Lord Minato said. "He'll be placed under heavy guard at the ANBU headquarters and treated by one of their medics. I do apologise."

Sakura glared, a pretty look with such brightly coloured eyes.

"Cat, if you would please." The Hokage said. "Sakura, show me the damage to the hospital, and we can work out a plan of action."

Sakura stepped off the downed prisoner, green eyes flicking up to Shisui's mask for a brief moment. "Captain." She said, clipped and cold before she stalked past him to follow the Hokage into the hospital.

"Jonin Haruno." He murmured, watching her go, interest renewed.

* * *

Lord Minato looked like he wanted to throw himself off the Hokage Mountain, staring at his desk with a thousand yard stare that would be funny if not for the fact that Shisui also had to listen to Lady Koharu and Danzo bluster on like they were paid to do it.

"-unacceptable!"

"A breach like this raises serious questions."

"Like how the hell did a supposedly drugged and restrained prisoner manage to take out two elite ANBU?"

"It's being handled." Lord Minato repeated, for what had to be the fifth or sixth time. "ANBU Black Ops falls out of the Council's jurisdiction, but rest assured something like this won't happen again."

"And what about the hospital?"

"As I said, Sakura is more than capable of handling it." The Hokage said. "Her last report said that all the patients have been returned to their beds, and that the damage to the courtyard is mostly cosmetic."

"Well what about the door?!" Lord Homura demanded. "She destroyed it completely without any regard for the cost of fixing it."

"And the MRI machine!"

The Hokage closed his eyes. "The full report for damages should be finished tomorrow, Honoured Council, until then, I think that we can all retire knowing that the village is safe, and the threat has been thoroughly dealt with."

"How can we have a hospital with an administrator with such little regard for-"

"Sakura is an excellent administrator and medic." Lord Minato interrupted, eyes flashing. Patience obviously at its end, he sat up straight. "Shall I bring her here to demonstrate her competence?"

"I hardly think that's necessary-"

"An update in person might set your worries to rest, councilwoman." The Hokage said with a tight, frustrated smile.

"I'll go." Shisui offered. He always thought the Hokage was too lenient with the elders, and he was satisfied to see them finally being put in their place. Sakura's dislike of the elders was almost as famous as Princess Tsunade's and Shisui was only disappointed he was off soon and wouldn't be around to hear her spar with them.

Lord Minato waved him away dismissively.

The hospital was silent as he approached. The shattered glass front door had been hastily covered by a plastic sheet and tape, leaving it flapping ever so slightly in the night breeze. Shisui bypassed the front entrance, opting to scale the outside of the building.

As Tsunade's apprentice, Sakura was an important figure in the village, and every ANBU knew where she worked, for her own safety.

Her window was shut and Shisui could see her at her desk, filling out a form with a scowl.

Her eyes narrowed when he knocked, but instead of ignoring him, she set down her pen and leaned back in her funny netting chair.

"You again." She greeted, folding her arms.

"The Council would like an update on the situation here at the hospital." He said drolly, gesturing at the silent hospital around them.

Her expression soured even more. "Seriously?" She demanded.

"The Hokage is rather sick of their questions." Shisui said, though he technically wasn't supposed to. He did a lot of things he wasn't supposed to. "I think he likes to watch them squirm."

That got a smile out of her. "So what? He's just using me to make the elders uncomfortable?" She said, mouth twitching as she tried to look stern.

"Word on the street is, you don't mind taking them down a peg every now and then."

She sucked in one cheek, eyes darting away from his. "And what about you?"

"Me?"

She got up, flipping the paper over almost absently. Moving around the edge of her desk, Shisui saw that she hadn't changed, and that her skirt was still covered in fine layer of dust. Sakura leaned on her desk, curling her hands around the edge. It only made long legs look even longer. "You seem to be showing up rather frequently as of late." She said conversationally, tilting her head. "Why is that?"

"You caused an earthquake last time we met." He reminded her. "I told you, that catches the eye."

"And tonight?"

"A rogue ninja broke containment." He said. "I was the gallant cavalry." He said sarcastically. The ANBU on duty tonight had failed rather spectacularly, almost impressively so. Even so, he couldn't be that upset. He wouldn't have gotten to see Sakura fight for real if they hadn't.

Sakura raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

"Unneeded, of course." He said, gesturing at her. "You had it handled."

Sakura rolled her shoulders, tilting her head as she considered him. Her jaw worked, and there was just a hint of a smile dancing around the corners of her mouth now. "… And now?" She asked, not quite able to hide the pleased look in her eyes, voice silky smooth.

Well it didn't take a genius to figure out Shisui was interested. Still, she had cottoned on to his game quicker than he expected. "I volunteered." He said, leaving it at that. As much as he liked bantering and flirting, enjoying the anonymity his mask afforded him, he and Sakura were both on duty right now and he was about to risk his job, or hers.

"You volunteered." She repeated, taking the same tone she had last time they'd met, like she knew he was full of shit. She looked down, tapping one finger on her bicep. "One last question, Captain, and then I'm all yours."

Shisui narrowed his eyes at her, wondering at the choice of words. Shisui loved a good innuendo, but he wasn't used to knowing if it was one or not.

"Are you flirting with me?" She asked, glancing up at him, bottom lip caught between her teeth. It was surprisingly timid for the fierce woman he had seen outside and seemed at odds with the crushing power she'd displayed with such brutal efficiency.

He was.

But he shouldn't.

Sweet Sakura Haruno was definitely on a different wave length when it came to what they considered a good time. Shisui didn't have time for romance, he had a family to support, and his father's illness didn't leave much time for partners.

Not to mention Shisui just didn't do romance. He liked the thought of it, but he didn't want sweet courtship, with flowers and roses and missionary.

And Sakura Haruno, pretty and strong as she was, was flowers and roses and missionary all over.

"I'm sure neither of us would be so unprofessional." He said slowly.

Sakura's eyebrows rose. "That's not an answer." She pointed out. She liked doing that.

"We should get going, Jonin Haruno." He said, unable to help smiling at her irritation. There was an expression on her face that was definitely a pout, though he didn't think she knew that. It was a good look on her, highlighted the fullness of her lips. "The _council_ is waiting."

Sakura's eyes narrowed, and then after a moment she unfolded her arms. "Okay." She said simply, pushing off the desk and collecting her coat and a few pieces of paper.

Shisui raised an eyebrow at the ease at which she had let it go.

Seemed out of character for her.

But he didn't say anything, pushing open the door to her office and letting her slip past him. She looked up at him as she walked past, but her expression was strangely serene.

The walk to the hospital entrance was quiet, Sakura with her arms folded in front of her, coat tucked over the top, the very epitome of everything, Sakura Haruno. Quite, and demure. Completely at odds with what he had seen.

It was far more attractive than it should be.

The hospital grounds were silent, and Shisui could sense the police force members making their way around the perimeter. Too little, too late, and more theatre for the patients and civilian staff, than anything.

While embarrassing for the ANBU Black Ops, Shisui was relatively confident it was an isolated incident.

"So." Sakura said as they walked out of the grounds.

Technically, they should have taken the rooftops. But Shisui didn't think the Hokage would mind. Longer to make the Elders squirm. "So."

"Like I said, you've shown up a few times now. Always when I'm in the middle of destroying something." Sakura said with a shrug that was too practiced. "Goaded me into a spar and then _volunteered_ to come and get me for the Hokage."

"You don't think I volunteered?"

"No I do." She answered, glancing up at him. "Just gets a girl wondering."

"About?"

"I know the why." She said, planting herself in front of him, chin raised in defiance. "I want to know the _who_."

Shisui grinned under his mask.

She _was_ brazen, wasn't she?

They both knew that an ANBU's identity was a jealously guarded secret, and outside of immediate family, no one else was allowed to know. It was expressly against protocol for an ANBU to reveal his or her identity to another, even a friendly shinobi. "You know I can't tell you that, Jonin Haruno."

"Because it's classified."

He gestured for her to keep walking. "Because it's classified."

"Well," she said, feigning thoughtfulness, "I guess I'll just have to find out for myself, then."

Shisui looked at her sharply, not worried that he would get in trouble, but rather surprised. It sounded very much like she wanted to see him again, but then, he had never taken Sakura Haruno as one to chase after the thrill of a forbidden tryst. Or even want one.

Silence fell between them for a few moments, and then-

"You never did answer my question, you know." She said, as they made their way down the street towards the Hokage Tower.

Shisui glanced at her, amused.

Sakura smiled at him, a sly, bratty thing. It wasn't an expression he'd seen on her before.

It suited her. In a strange sort of way.

"Are you flirting with me?" She asked, pinning him with fierce eyes. "Captain." She added, almost as an afterthought.

Shisui couldn't help but smile behind his mask at the insubordinate tone her voice had taken with his title. She'd done that on purpose, being rude to provoke a reaction.

But then, she was famous for her bullheadedness, headstrong in all the ways that some of his comrades nervous and spit out rude remarks.

Shisui had always liked to be challenged. Like a bit of pushback and passionate opinions.

Still.

This was Sakura Haruno. Sasuke's dear teammate and his former Captain's student. He wasn't about to go sneaking around with a woman eight years his junior, no matter how much he wanted to tease and pull on that thread of fire he saw.

"No answer?" She asked, smile fading a little.

Shisui considered her question. He didn't think Sakura Haruno was interested in what he was interested in. He wasn't looking to play boyfriend or to romance her. He'd never been shy about his interests. "It depends on you." He said instead, as the doors of the lobby slid open, silent on their tracks.

"_Me_?" Sakura asked, one brow rising and the challenge returning to her voice. "Why?"

"What do you want, Jonin Haruno?" He asked, unable to help himself. Cause he didn't know what she was playing at.

She stared at him; a challenge clear in her eyes. "Answer my question." She demanded, something Shisui noticed she liked to do. It was a demand or nothing. There was no in between with her. "Are you?"

"Do you want me to be?" He countered easily. The hallways were quiet as they walked through them, headed for the top of the Tower.

Sakura's eyes darted away briefly and then she looked up at him through her lashes, bottom lip caught between her teeth.

It was a dangerous expression. It certainly didn't help, because she had all that fire and zeal, the strength to take down a mountain and she still pulled out an innocent, oblivious expression like she didn't know what it looked like.

"What if I do?" She asked, just as they came upon the door to the Hokage's office. Inside, Shisui could feel the cold thrum of Lord Minato's chakra, and alongside it, the Council of Elders.

Shisui didn't quite know what to do with Sakura Haruno. She wasn't anything like what he thought. And up close, he could see something under that perfectly polished exterior, something that hinted at a wild side to match that temper of hers.

It made him think that maybe she did know what he wanted. And that he was all wrong about her.

And wasn't that a tantalising thought?

Sakura tucked her hands behind her back, smile tugging at the corners of her lips as they stopped outside the Hokage's office. She rocked back on her heels. "_Captain_." She said, the word quiet and coy, and so very deliberately innocent.

And it told Shisui everything he needed to know.

She knew _exactly_ what she was doing. _Little brat._

Shisui decided he rather liked Sakura. "Jonin Haruno." He said.

* * *

The Sakura Fandom: Sakura Haruno could step on me and I'd thank her

Shisui: Bitch, same

Porn doesn't show up until chapter 7. You guys picked sexual tension and I intend to piss you all off and deliver in it spades.

Trust me tho- chapter 7 makes up for it.


	3. Chapter 3: With My Eyes On You

My parents want me to write our family history

And I'm like, do you know my only claim to fame as a writer is writing porn and fantasy drivel on the internet

Well I didn't say that because my mother would die

But you know, I thought it

Also I'm a little salty that the MinaSaku I wrote is more popular than this.

Okay I'm really salty about it

Anyway, please enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 3: With My Eyes on You4

Sakura was packing up for the night when her office window slid open, and a familiar figure slipped through, lithe and easy.

Cat's mask smiled at her the waning light of the afternoon. It's owner was dressed in the usual ANBU uniform, though he had forgone the sleeveless shirt in favour of one that stretched down to his wrists, almost identical in colour to his leather gloves.

Sakura striahgted from where she had been wrestling with her bag. "Captain." She greeted, a little surprise. It had been nearly a week since he had accompanied her home after meeting with the Hokage and Elders.

"_I'll be back to collect on that spar."_

Only she hadn't… really _expected_ him to. She had almost felt like, maybe he would flirt and compliment her in the moment, but he wouldn't go out of his way to come back to visit her.

"_I volunteered."_

He was an odd one. Despite her years of training in reading body language, she got little off of him but amusement and curiosity. No boredom, no interest, no nothing. He was difficult to read, and it frustrated her to no end, because even when he did speak, it was half answers, or no answers at all. Or just a question that threw her off.

She wanted to know what he wanted from her.

"Came to collect?" She asked softly, curious.

He moved away from the window. "Not quite." He said. He lifted a hand, and she saw that he was holding a vial, filled with clear liquid. It looked like water, if she was being honest.

Sakura was disappointed. She wasn't going to lie. She liked Cat. And there was something just different about having someone masked flirt with you. It added an air of mystery and scandal to every interaction.

"The Hokage has a mission for us." He said, voice breathy in the way that told her he thought it was all rather amusing. "He needs this sample tested for foreign compounds."

"Us?" She repeated, reaching for the sample. He let her take it and she lifted it up, examining it curiously. It was definitely water.

"We'll be working together on this." He answered, and he sounded very entertained by something that he wasn't, apparently, interested in sharing.

Sakura looked up at him, disappointment growing. He had made a point, last week, to mention that he would never be so unprofessional to flirt with her on the clock, and she could respect that. But she had been, perhaps childishly, excited to flirt with him. "And what exactly is this?" She asked, lifting the tube meaningfully.

"A sample."

She snorted at his predictable non-answer. "And what exactly am I looking for, Captain?" She asked as she moved over to her lab desk to begin setting up her microscope.

It was a shame the Hokage had assigned her to work with this particular ANBU, because she really did like him. He brought something out in her that made her want to push back and be insubordinate, something that was almost childishly pleased by the way he stroked her ego.

Plenty of men flirted with her. But it was entirely different with him. There was a clear sexual attraction between them, and she wondered, would it fade with time?

When she glanced over at him, he was by her desk, touching her jacket with two fingers. "Anything that doesn't belong."

Sakura bit her tongue at the almost automatic, sarcastic barb. "So I guess that means that our spar will have to be postponed again, huh?" She asked instead, perhaps a little belligerent. "Seeing as you're such a professional after all." She said, adjusting the microscope to her liking.

"Did you see a mission scroll?" He asked, silky smooth.

Sakura's hands slowed on the microscope as she processed his words.

He _hadn't_ given her a mission scroll, and if the Hokage hadn't either… that meant it was an unsanctioned mission. Which meant that the Hokage suspected a source from inside the village…

She set the vial down in her test tube holder, glancing at Cat over her shoulder.

And that they technically weren't colleagues.

He sat on the edge of her desk, folding his arms.

"Who does the Hokage suspect?" She asked quietly, turning around to face him.

He didn't answer her.

Sakura nodded to herself, she hadn't expected him to tell her. Biting her lip, she considered the other implication in his words. She didn't really know what she was doing when it came to Cat and this odd dynamic they had between them.

But she couldn't deny she was almost desperately curious. And not just to know who he was.

"You know…" She said, reaching behind her to slide the vial out of the little wooden holder, "You're asking a lot of me without giving me anything in return." She said, approaching him. The grin on the mask seemed to stretch wider as she approach.

He tilted his head, relaxed and nonchalant as he watched her approach.

She didn't know what she was doing. This was an ANBU Captain, for gods sake. He could report her in an instant for inappropriate conduct. Not to mention… what would people say? If they knew she flirted with a man above her station- one that- her superior.

There were rules against this. They had a _mission_.

Leaning on her desk as he was, he was closer to eye level with her. "It's a bit unfair, don't you think?" She said anyway, not really able- not really wanting to stop.

Cat didn't say anything, but she could feel his eyes dragging over her, examining her. A brief moment of silence seemed to drag on, and her office felt as if it had shrunk, to just him and her as she waited for him to say something. "Technically," He said softly, "The Hokage is the one asking."

Sakura moved a little bit closer. He smelled of sage and salt. "And yet its you here, doing the asking." She pointed out, her own voice falling hushed.

"What?" He said, voice breathy, a little mocking. The grin on the mask seemed sharper, the teeth wicked. "You want a reward?"

"It's only fair." She countered, looking at where his eyes would be behind his mask. She wondered what colour they were. "Or, you can always find another medic to do your dirty work. I'm sure Shizune would love to be bothered in her third trimester."

Cat lifted his chin, and she saw the tendons in his neck as he worked his jaw. A smile?

He made a clicking noise. The same one he had made back on the training grounds. His tongue, she realised.

"What do you want?" He asked, but there was no irritation in his voice, only amusement.

The reciprocation of the game made it headier, a little more scandalous. "I want to know what you want." She said. She had to know. It was driving her crazy, all of the half answers, all of the questions answered with questions.

He spread his knees, unfolding his arms as he considered what she had said.

Somewhere along the way, she had moved even closer to him. He smelled very faintly of sage and salt.

"I told you." He said easily. "I want to see that power up close. There aren't many people in this world that can crush mountains. I want to see it. Feel it. That's what I want."

It was an answer. But it wasn't what she wanted to hear. "And after we fight, then what?"

"Then… I don't know." He said with a shrug. "What do you want?"

Sakura wasn't satisfied with his non-answer. And she knew he was winding her up, she could tell, from the tone of his voice, the subtle humour there. "When does the Hokage need the sample done by?" She asked instead.

Another click. "Within the week." He said, and he sounded like he was holding back a laugh. "Why?"

Sakura didn't know what she was doing. She really didn't.

But she liked his attention, wanted to keep it, enjoyed the feeling of being attractive and wanted.

"You don't like to answer me." She said. "So I have a wager for you."

He let her step closer to him. She slipped in between his legs, until they were almost face to face. Up close, like this, she could feel the heat rising off his skin, and the tang of salt and sage got stronger. "You do, do you?"

"We spar." She said. "And when I win, you tell me what you actually want from me." She said confidently. "All of it."

"When you win?" He repeated, apparently incredulous. He snorted and sucked in a breath. "Confidence is a virtue, but arrogance…"

"You would know, wouldn't you?" She shot back, intentionally needling him. He was an ass, but it was so much fun and she liked the feeling of pushing back against someone who outranked her. It just added to the scandal of this whole situation.

She had no idea who he was, and while they weren't on the books as working together, they were. All of it made everything much more… dangerous.

She was a woman. She fantasised about having a dark, mysterious lover, but she had never quite imagined this, and she wasn't ashamed to admit that the thought of it was tantalising. Cat was an ANBU, he was dangerous, powerful, and she had always liked powerful men.

Cat made a short, amused noise. "Careful." He warned, standing up deliberately slowly. "Or I'll have to punish you for insubordination."

Sakura looked up at him. "Afraid of losing to a girl?"

"Hardly." He said, leaning closer to her. "Fought many a powerful woman, lost to a few." His voice losing its practiced smoothness, growing just a little bit rougher around the edges. "But I don't lose to _brats_."

The word shot down her spine, hitting a chord inside Sakura that she hadn't known could be plucked. She swallowed, taking a step back, distancing herself from the moment. She hadn't expected him to catch on to her actual reasoning so quickly. "I only need one hit." She told him.

The setting sun caught his mask, turning it orange and gold. "Training ground 15. I'll tell the Hokage you've agreed." He said abruptly, and Sakura was left feeling flushed and a little giddy when he vanished.

The giddiness was tinged with worry.

She still didn't know what she was doing. If she was doing the right thing.

But she didn't want to stop.

* * *

He was so damn _fast_.

Every time she thought she had him, he was gone, vanishing from sight and attacking her from behind or her blind spot or the side.

It was thrilling. Because it forced her to move faster than she had ever before, forced her to fall back on every trick in her book. Her muscles burned at the work out, and her heart raced with exhilaration.

Sakura blocked the slash of his sword aimed at her head, the steel of her kunai ringing loudly in the quiet night. The blow was heavy, and the angle was awkward enough for her wrist to ache. Sakura shoved him back, the scrape of steel against steel rasping loudly.

He didn't give her a chance to retaliate, dropping low into a crouch and lashing out with a foot in a roundhouse kick.

Sakura was only just able to block, arms rising in front of her face. Cat's heel hit her forearms with a resounding thud that sent a wave of pain arching through her bones. Sakura skidded backwards, already shaking the pain away with a surge of healing chakra. She caught his next strike easily enough with her kunai and then shoved him away, enough to make him stumble.

But it wasn't the opening she had been hoping for, because it threw him off for a split second, and Sakura just wasn't fast enough to capitalise on such a small window.

Still, it meant she was no longer slipping and scrambling to keep up with him, had given her just a moment to get her bearings.

She pressed her tiny advantage, relishing in the feel of flesh against flesh, bone against bone, as he blocked each of her blows, seemingly matching her each step of the way.

"Stop. _Moving_!" She said, but it came out more playful than frustrated.

"I'm not going to let you win." He quipped back, vanishing out from under her fingers. He aimed a stab at her abdomen, dangerously close to the spot where Sasori had stabbed her.

Sakura grabbed the wicked sharp blade with a chakra coated hand and used it to yank him towards her.

He just let the hilt go, apparently unconcerned that now she had it.

Sakura hurled it at him, and he ducked under it smoothly.

It slammed into a tree behind him with a low, resonant thump, burying itself up to the hilt in the thick, old wood. The tree groaned, trunk splitting where the sword had struck and showered the ground with leaves.

Cat turned around, obviously looking at his sword, now well and truly stuck in the tree. He looked back at her after a moment.

Sakura lifted her fists, blood humming.

* * *

Fifteen minutes.

And she hadn't managed to even come close to hitting him. For his part, he'd hit her a few times, times where his sheer speed just overwhelmed her. She could see the blows coming, she just couldn't move quick enough to get out of the way in time.

Sakura dodged the barrage of shuriken he threw her way, dancing out of harms way of the deadly hail.

Cat didn't let her get away scot free though, he chased after her, engaging her with a flurry of blows with his kunai.

He caught her wrists, dragging her in a step. "How do you do that?" He demanded breathlessly, voice bright with the thrill of a fight. For a brief second, their faces were inches apart.

Sakura snapped out of his hold, going for a high punch aimed at his grinning mask. "Do what?" She panted as he blocked the blow with his upraised forearm.

His kunai clashed against hers, and she pressed it back, back, back, until he was forced to disengage. "It's like you know what I'm about to do, before I do it." He retorted, barely out of breath, almost as if this wasn't difficult for him. "I should be able to hit you, but I can't."

"You're not _supposed_ to be able to hit me." She said, thrilled he had even noticed. Her ability to go unhurt on the battlefield was one of the most difficult things she had ever had to master, and no one aside from Lady Tsunade and Shizune had ever commented on it.

He tried to sweep her feet out from under her, and Sakura sprang backwards, flipping head over heels. Her hands left the ground, leaving her completely airborne, and she only just dodged the blow meant to slash at the vulnerable tendons of her wrists. As she did, she kicked out with her heel, knocking away the blade with a loud clang.

She landed in a crouch and immediately had to roll to avoid the barrage of dense, green tinged fireballs that he unleashed in her direction. They tore through the air around her, turning the grass black and filling the air with the stink of burning oxygen. Even despite her considerable skills in evasion, the fire was still hot enough to singe her skirt.

Immediately, she saw that the fire wasn't the only barrage of projectiles he had thrown at her. Inside each of the fireballs were giant shuriken, similar to the giant shuriken that Tenten favoured inside her oversized scrolls.

There was a sharp hiss of wire and the shuriken changed direction, now chasing after her.

Sakura knew she would lose the war of attrition. She was a close quarters fighter, and she needed to force Cat off the open plain and somewhere closer, where she could force him into another hand to hand fight with her. As she had told him, she only needed on hit to end a fight.

She ducked under the first shuriken, spun in a tight circle, and then slammed her fist into the ground with a loud yell.

Immediately the ground heaved under the blow, rippling almost like water as the chakra in her clenched hand dispersed violently. The ground heaved and cracked, sending giant shards of rock exploding into the air and the shockwave of her blow knocked the shuriken away and put out the fire he had started.

She saw a flicker of movement through the chaos.

She chased after him and caught him just as he was backing into the 'safety' of the tree line. The thick, dense trees made it harder for him to avoid her and she immediately capitalised on the close quarters to force him into a confrontation with her.

He was still faster than her, but he couldn't do his trick of shadow stepping away and then back in to catch her off guard from another angle.

Cat didn't even try to block her blows, dodging them outright now, obviously not willing to break bones.

The tree trunk shattered under Sakura's fist and Cat ducked away, laughing. "You trying to take my head off with that super strength of yours?" He asked, and Sakura was gratified to hear that his breath was coming harder now.

"Wasn't enhanced." She shot back.

Cat faltered, head whipping around to look at her and Sakura took the opening. The flurry of blows she threw at him actually forced him to defend properly, movements more urgent as he realised that she had meant what she said about only needing one hit.

His kunai came back into play and Sakura hissed when he managed to slice a thin, deep cut across her collarbone. The cut was healed in moments, but it was enough to make him press his advantage.

He grabbed her from behind, wrenching her left hand behind her back, and wrapping his arm around her neck. It pulled her back into his chest, and it only emphasised how much bigger he was, the broadness in his chest, the thick muscle of his arms and shoulders.

Automatically, Sakura slapped a hand on his arm, yanking it away from her neck, but he squeezed, bracing his other arm against the one around her neck, warning her that the hold wasn't something she could break without injury. "Yield."

Sakura could feel the muscle against her throat and was shocked at how easily her mind wandered into other things.

"I win." He breathed in her ear. "_Yield_, Jonin Haruno."

Sakura weighed her options.

Her heart was pounding in her chest, and her hands were steady, and her vision clear from the adrenaline flowing through her veins. There was a hollow feeling in her stomach, a mix of excitement and exhilaration.

She wasn't done quite yet.

She went limp, slumping against the cage of his arm. She let her knees buckle, and her head loll against the arm around her neck, eyes falling closed. She let her full weight land on his arms, and he shifted automatically to compensate as it dragged him off balance.

He caught her automatically, just as she began to slip. His posture move as he caught her, planting his feet more securely, guard lowering as he bent over her in concern. "Jonin Haruno?" He asked sharply, arm loosening to band around her chest instead of her neck. "Sakura? _Shit_-"

Sakura struck, hands flashing up to grab his arm and yank him bodily over her shoulder. As she did, she sliced through the muscle attachments in his bicep and forearm, forcing a loud hiss of pain from him.

She slammed him into the hard dirt, returning the favour for her skirt. She heard the breath explode of his lungs, but she didn't stop there. Any ANBU worth their salt wouldn't be slowed down just because they were winded.

Sakura kicked his blade away, twisting his arm as she did so, and making to wrap a leg around his neck.

Cat managed to grab her with his good hand, and he yanked her down onto the ground with him, attempting to use his heavier weight to pin her down.

She rolled with the momentum, managing to get under him and wrap her strong legs around his waist, trapping his good arm by his side before he could use it to wiggle away. As she did so, she managed to get an arm around his neck, wrenching his head back.

Cat bucked, but Sakura was just stronger than he was.

Sakura yelped, muscles spasming when lightning crackled through the air, in a technique that looked startlingly like Sasuke's full body Chidori technique. With another yelp, she kicked him away before it could shock her even more and lock her muscles down.

She rolled upright shakily, managing to heal the after effects of the lightning shock.

Cat had vanished into the trees, and Sakura cast her senses wide.

A prickle on the nape of her neck. Like a breath, but heavier, colder.

Genjutsu.

Sakura disturbed her chakra with a short, sharp flare, and was forced to defend from behind when it shattered like glass around her.

Cat gave her no quarter. He moved like the lightning he had summoned, and somehow, was even faster than before.

She was struggling to keep up. Her analytical skills, her ability to read an opponent was no use if her opponent moved too quickly for her to react. What's more, she thought she had taken out of his dominant arm, but he seemed just as skilled with his left as with his right, and even though she had years of practice against left handed opponents thanks to Sasuke, she didn't know Cat at all, didn't know his patterns just yet.

Sakura stepped back, bending backward to duck under a swipe of a tanto she didn't know he hand, and the ground gave under her, just a tiny bit and Sakura knew immediately she had made a mistake.

She couldn't do anything to stop the trap from triggering, and the sharp twang of ninja wire cut through the air. She only caught a glimpse of the silvery wire in the rising moonlight before it wrapped around her and tightened, yanking her arms tight to her sides, and pinning her knees together.

Sakura staggered and then fell over awkwardly, landing on her front with a loud yelp.

She snapped the wires with a flex of her arms, but it didn't matter, because Cat was already there.

Sakura grunted when he shoved her back into the ground, wrenching both of her hands up behind her back, and pressing a warning knee against her spine. "You think you're so clever, huh?" He growled, breath quick and harsh. "Playing possum like that."

Sakura squirmed, but his hand only tightened, and his knee pressed almost painfully into her spine. "It worked, didn't it?" She gasped out of breath from the chase, the leather of his glove almost too rough on the over-heated, sweat slicked skin of her wrists. "I hit you."

"You cheated." He snarled in her ear.

"A hit's a hit." She shot back, flexing her wrists.

His grip tightened, just verging on pain. "You're a little brat." He growled. "What did you do to my arm?"

Sakura turned her head, tossing her hair out of her face. "Uh uh," She said, catching a glimpse of his mask in the dusk light, "You don't get ask the questions this time."

Silence.

She waited.

He didn't let her go.

Sakura knew she could break his grip, and the knee he had had resting her spine had long since shifted away, digging into the soft soil by her side. She could feel the fabric of his pants brushing against her shirt, making her skin dimple at the hint of a touch.

"You want to know what I want from you?" He said in her ear, voice hot in a way that made her wish she could feel his breath on her ear.

The training ground was hushed, quiet, holding its breath with Sakura. The touch of his hand around her wrists, the only point where he was touching her, was too little and teasing. She wasn't sure if she wanted skin to skin, or if she liked the distance the leather gloves brought.

"You took down the rogue ninja like it was nothing." He told her, voice close to a purr, but rougher, not as polished as it normally was.

Had she done that?

"Seeing the way you handled him, in that short skirt and those boots of yours…" His voice turned almost playful, and she could almost imagine the smile on his face, smug and smirking. "It was the sexiest goddamn thing I'd ever seen a woman do."

No one had _ever_ sounded like that when they talked about her.

"I wanted to shove you up against the wall and fuck you right then and there," He said, "Wanted to feel those legs of yours around my waist."

Sakura gasped at the filthy words, unable to help it. She knew people talked like that, but for her- she had never even entertained the idea. Because what would people say if they knew Sakura Haruno thought about such vulgar, basal things like that?

She could never, ever do, say- think those things. She had a reputation- a reputation to uphold. She had to be a role model for younger kunoichi- like Lady Tsunade- she couldn't be… that girl-

But here, in the quiet, dusk night air, where everything seemed almost muted, hearing it made her skin tingle.

She shifted under him, mouth dry and heat pooling in her stomach.

It was raw and honest, and completely inappropriate.

And she _liked_ it.

"And then you look at me with those big, innocent eyes, with that little smile of yours, as if you didn't just tell me you wanted me to be flirting with you while on the clock." He continued, obviously relishing in her reaction. "Picture perfect Sakura Haruno. The epitome of upstanding kunoichi-"

The way he talked about her…

"Hiding behind that shiny little façade of yours, so sweet and innocent and naïve, just the perfect little woman aren't you?." He said, slow and almost mocking. "And then you act like a spoilt brat when you don't get what you want." He finished, voice hardening.

She waited, scarcely breathing. She liked that too. When he called her a brat. She shouldn't because she had worked too hard to be called something so juvenile, but…

"All coy and shy eyes." He breathed. "But that's all an act, isn't it? I saw the wildfire in those big doe eyes of yours."

His thumb brushed over her pounding pulse in her wrist, slow and teasing.

"After your display tonight, I don't want to just fuck you." He said, almost a snarl, but more heated, than aggressive. "I want to remind you _why_ I'm a Captain, want to see those big, doe eyes looking up at me as you suck my cock, want to pin you down and fuck you over that desk of yours. I want to _ruin_ the pretty, perfect façade of yours."

Sakura swallowed as his words hung in the air between them. She almost ached for more than the touch of his rough leather gloves around her wrists. He was right there, and he was barely touching her.

Her skin felt tight, oversensitive as the sweat from their fight, dried.

After what he had just said, she wanted him to.

And it shocked her.

Because she wasn't supposed to want those things. She did, she had known- knew that she did, but she wasn't supposed to, because she was Sakura Haruno, and as he said, she was the picture perfect kunoichi and perfect kunoichi didn't want those things.

But god, she did.

Cat leaned closer to her, so she could feel the heat coming off of him, wished he wasn't wearing a mask so she could feel the heat of his breath on her ear.

"_That's_ what I want." He said, low and sensual.

* * *

Flunked my interview so to cheer myself up I changed this chapter and made it more SPICY

Real talk tho, my imposter syndrome is having a fucking fantastic time

Oof


	4. Chapter 4: The Heat Builds

I need more Hal/Bruce please.

Please. Oh my god, I love them too much. It's the most ridiculous thing, but for gods sake, how can I not ship it when Bruce literally pins Hal twice within the first five minutes of meeting him and then SMILES. Oh lord my lil heart. And then he also reveals to Hal who he is and just... fok.

I have a problem.

I also have another problem in that I'VE LITERALLY READ ALL OF THE SHISAKU TAG AND BATLANTERN TAGS ON AO3. Please, I will pay you in pocket fluff, I need more. Oh my god.

Shisui is a giant sleezebag in this chapter, because I was being a giant sleeze. Also cause I'm putting Control on hold until I can figure out if I want to be putting out that content or not, I made it more... steamy.

not spice.

STEAM.

Enjoy nerds.

* * *

Chapter 4: The Heat Builds

Shisui opened the window to Sakura's office. She wasn't inside, but he knew that she would be returning soon enough to finish out her day.

He slunk over to her lab desk, the one with the microscope and testing machine that he only vaguely understood. Her desk was a mess, bits of paper and abandoned glass dishes that shone in the light from her computer.

It was not quite what he expected. Sakura seemed so put together that mess didn't really fit with the impression she gave off.

Shisui was beginning to think that her mask went a lot deeper than he realised.

A file caught his eye, half hidden under a pile of papers and medical journals. It was unmarked, save for a small rendition of a very familiar mask in the corner.

He smiled, and pulled it out easily, leaving the books and other paper undisturbed. He made a note of where it had been, so he could slot it back.

Flipping it open, Shisui raised an eyebrow at the seemingly gibberish writing on the pages. He didn't activate his Sharingan, because he wasn't an idiot and he was well versed on the rules around privacy and classification.

He was fairly certain these were the results of the water sample he had bought in.

"It's sight encrypted." Sakura said from behind him, sardonic and dry.

Shisui turned away from her desk. "Jonin Haruno." He greeted, unable to keep from smiling.

Sakura closed the door with her hip, hands full of a box and several clipboards. Her own smile was bright and easy as she juggled her things into one hand. "Captain." She said sweetly, holding the other out for the file in his hand.

He handed it to her. "The results of your tests?" He asked.

She understood immediately, from the way her eyebrow rose ever so slightly. "On the sample you so rudely dropped off here last week?" She said, aiming for lightness. "Yes. It is."

Shisui waited.

Her office was quiet.

He didn't mind. He had a feeling he was much better at using silence to his advantage.

Sakura huffed at him and didn't _quite_ stomp around him. "There's a compound I've never seen before in the sample." She said, dumping her things on her desk unceremoniously, file included.

Shisui watched as she shuffled around on her desk for a moment.

She turned, tucking her hands behind her back with a sweet little smile. "So that leaves one of two options." She said.

Shisui really, _really_ liked Sakura Haruno. He already knew she was smart, but he hadn't realised just how _quick_ she would be.

"One, this sample isn't from Konoha, in which case, I want nothing to do with this mission." She looked up at him through her lashes, eyes far more coy than her smile. "Or two, you put something in this water that I wouldn't test for, as an excuse to talk to me."

Shisui clicked his tongue, grinning behind his mask. She was clever. "Unfortunately," He said, stepping closer to her. She smelled of nothing in particular, and he supposed it made sense given her jobs. Strong scents weren't exactly nice to the sickly. "You're wrong on both counts."

She pouted.

And again, he wondered if she even knew she was doing it. "I don't need an excuse to come see you." He reminded her. "I volunteered, remember?"

Her eyes slid away. "So what then?"

"Sample is from Konoha." He said. "As you said, there's an unknown compound in there. We need to know where it's from, and given that you travelled extensively with Princess Tsunade…"

She smiled.

_Begrudgingly_. Another trend it seemed.

Sakura sighed, traipsing forward. "You could've just told me that." She almost whined.

"Where's the fun in that?"

That made her smile even wider and she turned away to hide it. "If you want me to narrow down the exact compounds and where they're from, it'll take a little longer." She told him, struggling to return her face to a practiced nonchalance. "If you could just tell me what I'm supposed to be looking for…"

She was no ANBU. But she tried.

Her composure broke after a few minutes of silence and him simply staring at her. "You're cheating." She growled, pointing at his mask. "I _know_ you're grinning at me behind there."

She was right, of course, but she didn't need to know that. "I'm cheating?" He repeated. "What about you, huh?"

One eyebrow rose. "You're not still sore over last week, are you?" She goaded, smile turning a bit more smug, a little bit too nasty for the sweet, delicate Sakura Haruno. It was a _very_ good look on her.

"You cheated." He said. Shisui may not be Sasuke or Fugaku when it came to pride, but he did like to think of himself as above fighting dirty. And that was exactly what she had done, fought dirty.

It rankled, especially because he hadn't been expecting it from her. Kakashi, Genma, hell _Itachi_ if he was in a bad mood.

He had to give her credit though. It was clever, playing on his concern like that.

But still.

"You didn't specify any other rules." She said, almost sing song. "Why, you want a rematch?"

"I already told you what I want." He said, interested to see what she would do when he reminded her of the charged way their last meeting had gone. He hadn't been expecting to be pushed so far, and so quickly in their fight, but she made it hard not to.

She was a goddamn spitfire.

There was no demure demeanour, no sweet smile and hands tucked behind her back. Just fire and steel and raw strength and by god, watching her slip in and out of his blows like she was reading his mind was almost as sexy as those fists of hers.

And then she had playacted at being unconscious and _he_ had fallen for it, like a green genin.

It was his own fault. After the sultry way she had curved her tongue around his rank outside the Hokage's office, he should know better.

He didn't know a thing about this woman.

But Shisui did remember the shudder that had gone through her when he'd told her, in no uncertain terms, what he wanted to do to her.

She had liked it.

Still. Saying things like that in the heat of battle was an entirely different ballgame.

"You did." She said, silky smooth and very careful. She fidgeted. "I think we need to clarify a few things."

Shisui eyed her. He was expecting this sooner, to be perfectly honest. Even if she was hiding behind a mask, it had to come from somewhere and he was surprised she hadn't brushed him off earlier. "I agree."

She took a deep breath. "What do you want from this? Really?" She asked him, eyes hard and glittering gold in the light of her office.

"I'm not here to play boyfriend." He said simply. "I'm not interested in courting you or bringing you flowers."

Strangely, she smiled. "You would've just approached me off the clock for that."

He gave her that one with a nod, smiling. Very clever indeed. "I told you what I wanted. If you want a one night thing, then I'm happy with that, but what I had in mind doesn't really fit into one night."

She grinned and then coughed. "Disgusting." She murmured.

"You asked."

That made her laugh and she covered it with a cough and a covered hand. The look she gave him bordered on a glare, with a hint of something playful. "So what, fuck buddies?"

The language surprised him a little bit. It was surprisingly filthy, coming from someone with pink hair and big doe eyes. Though he had always had a thing for stark juxtapositions, and Sakura was a walking contradiction. "Something like that."

Sakura made a face, obviously thinking. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and then pointed at his mask. "You've got an insurance policy."

Shisui wasn't an idiot. Acted like one, but he wasn't one. He knew about the double standards for women, how those double standards were even more harsh and damaging for kunoichi. Especially a kunoichi like Sakura, from a no name family.

One rumour would be enough. One rumour had forced many a kunoichi onto border patrol, or long term missions far away from the scathing remarks that floated around the market.

And Sakura had such a long way to fall.

He didn't blame her for being cautious.

"I'm not interested in sharing my personal business." He said. It was the truth. What he did and with who was his business and his business alone. "If you're serious about this, about… whatever it is we've started, then you need to tell me. I'm not going to go further than this without your say so."

She was giving him a very strange, wide eyed look.

"If you want it to remain as nothing more than banter, then you can tell me that too. But I need to know."

The big eyes blinked and then she looked away, chewing on her lip. It was a nervous movement. Picking at the nails, pulling the skin off lips, all signs of anxiety or nervousness. "What if I did want to go further? What then?" She asked, looking at him carefully from the corner of her eye.

"That's up to you." He said. "I'm not… blind to the implications."

A secretive smile at that, something that made him want to pry deeper.

He didn't.

"I have a lot more to lose than you do." She reminded him.

He knew that too. "Would it make you more comfortable if you knew who I was?" He asked curiously. Because while it wouldn't completely even the playing field, it would put his job at risk as well.

She gave him that wide eyed look again. "You're not supposed to tell anyone who you are." She said, back straightening. There was an odd undertone to her words, filled with something that Shisui didn't know her well enough to place.

"No." He conceded. "But I'm not interested in blue balling myself either."

She giggled, hand jumping to cover her mouth like a good little Jonin. She clamped down on her laughter, pushing it back into a smooth expression.

"So. You need to tell me, what do you want out of this? I told you already, I'm not playing boyfriend, and what I want from you-"

"Sex."

"Well if you want to be vulgar." He said with a grin, tone dipping into something that wasn't expressly allowed. He was supposed to be professional and even at all times. Though Sakura wasn't exactly testing him, she was interesting enough to get him to drop it.

"No." She interrupted. Her eyes flicked away, and she swallowed audibly, slim throat bobbing. She looked up at him with big eyes under dark, thick lashes, pink tongue swiping out across her bottom lip. "That's what_ I_ want."

Four for four.

He really couldn't figure her out and it was more arousing than it should be.

"Just… sex?" He asked.

She took a breath.

Again, she got stuck behind that mask of hers.

She tried again, shrugging as she moved closer to him, feet soundless with years of training. She looked up at him when they were almost chest to chest. She didn't touch him, but she didn't really need to. "I want… I want you to do the things you said in the training grounds."

He kind of wanted to push her to say them, repeat them back to him word for filthy word. But she wasn't quite there yet. "What? You want me to push you down and fuck you over that desk?" He asked, nodding at hers behind her.

She nodded.

"And after that?"

Her smile returned, shy and small. "You tell me, _Captain_." She said lowly.

It shot straight to his groin, arousal and want making his pants tight and his stomach hollow with anticipation. "You're a little brat, aren't you, Jonin Haruno?" He snapped, but he couldn't be irritated by how quick he was to react.

She grinned and then hid it behind her mask again.

He regarded her for a moment longer. He had broken the cardinal rule of the ANBU Black ops before, for a child in a warzone, for a man they'd come across in one of Orochimaru's cells-

"Wait!" Sakura said suddenly, catching his wrist.

Shisui looked at her curiously.

She swallowed, eyes flicking up to meet his. "Leave…" She breathed. "Leave it on."

She couldn't…

Did she?

The thought was tantalising. He'd always liked the intimacy of sex, getting to know someone on a base, primal level. But still, the idea of her not knowing who he was, especially if it went further…

Well he seemed to have learnt something about himself.

And her.

And wasn't that _interesting_?

He really didn't know anything about her it seemed. Who would've thought that sweet, demure little Sakura Haruno would want something so… kinky.

Shisui eyed her for a moment and he was interested to see if she was serious. Gently, he pushed against her hand experimentally.

Sakura held him easily, despite the fact that he was heavier and taller and bulkier than she was. She stepped a little closer, eyes wide, but not naïve. She knew what he- they were doing.

"You said it was classified." She reminded him. "And I told you, I'd figure it out for myself."

He smiled. "Is that the only reason?" He murmured, goading her. He increased the pressure on his hand. He knew he couldn't beat in her in terms of raw strength.

Sakura resisted, arm not even moving. "Yes."

He had always figured her strength was the result of chakra manipulation. It hadn't even crossed his mind that she might just be strong. Not until she had thrown his sword so hard that even now, he couldn't get it out of the tree. "Liar." He murmured, but he didn't press, less interested in the thought of fucking Sakura with his mask on and more interested in the power in her limbs.

She pushed back and Shisui grunted in surprise at the how sudden and easily she just overpowered him.

He strained, but she held him with ease. His arm shook, but it was like trying to shove against a mountain. Sakura didn't even move, and even though he could see her muscles working, it wasn't taut or strained, not like his.

God it shouldn't be that hot.

It really shouldn't.

Sakura stepped closer to him as she pushed his hand, down, down, down. Her eyes were dark with attraction. "Do you like my strength?" She asked breathlessly, a note of surprise in her voice.

Shisui looked at her. She was biting her lip again, the natural pink turned red. "I do." He said honestly. He had always liked it, ever since he had seen the now Fifth Mizukage in action. There was just something about a woman who could shatter rocks and bend steel and wills to her whims.

And Sakura, with her incomparable ability to destroy entire landscapes, was very, very attractive to him right now.

She wasn't small, not slight like civilian women, but she was slender for a kunoichi. Looking at her you might think distance, speed.

Not strength.

Not like this.

Down. Down, down, she forced his hand. "Why?"

The question didn't sound desperate, but he became aware that it probably was. "You can kick a man through a mountain, kill him with a finger. You destroyed an entire training ground, threw my sword so hard it won't ever leave that tree trunk." He said slowly. He wanted to push her more, pull out on that tiny little spark of submission and snark he had seen when they sparred. "It's pure power. Not chakra, not fire, not water, just power. You really don't see how that's the sexiest goddamn thing on the planet?"

Sakura swallowed.

His arm almost ached with how hard he had been resisting her. "You have all that power at your fingertips, and yet… you want me to fuck you with my mask on. A stranger, someone you don't know*." He said, voice growing ragged at the thought. He was so hard he wasn't thinking very clearly.

She pressed his hand down to the desk, and held it there was an ease that made him harden in his pants. "I never-" She blinked a few times, chewing on her lip. "I didn't say that."

He cocked his head. He was achingly hard now, and she probably noticed. He didn't really care. He was of half a mind to go through with his promise and fuck her over her desk, show her exactly what he was capable of, and remind her why he was a Captain.

Her cheeks reddened.

"Well then, I won't." He assured her. "Not until you tell me yourself, what you want me to do to you."

She narrowed her eyes at him, and her nose wrinkled, twitching with displeasure. It made her look less like the lethal weapon she was and more like the sweet, perfect young woman she liked to pretend to be.

"Not going to share?" He pressed. She wouldn't, he didn't think. Sakura might have the fire and steel of a hardened kunoichi, but that mask wasn't just for show. He didn't want to just strip it away and see all that expression, he wanted Sakura to break it first. "A shame."

_Hook._

Her jaw worked. "You…" She spluttered, face turning red. "I… I can…"

He laughed at her, because she was more than a little bit cute. Spluttering and bright red. "Let's make it interesting then, shall we?" He proposed, leaning closer to her.

_Line._

She shivered and Shisui wondered when the last time she had had sex, because she was incredibly sensitive.

He had barely touched her in their spar, only losing his composure after her little trick. And tonight, _he_ hadn't touched her at all. Of course, that was by design, because he wanted to see how far he could push her before she finally broke that mask and pushed back properly.

But now…

That desire was starting to morph into wanting her to beg for it.

She had all that fire, all that zeal, and she wanted him to fuck her with a mask on. She called him Captain, curling her tongue around it like she might do with his dick, goading him on and on. She wanted him to do things to her, but he wasn't going to do shit, not until she begged him for it and gave his title the respect it deserved.

Her pupils had dilated when she looked up at him.

"If you win, you can have your way with me. Take off the mask, whatever you like." He whispered, taking in the way her shoulders stiffened and the catch in her breath.

Her throat bobbed and he wondered what noise she would make if he were to drag his fingers along the nape of her neck. "And if you win?" She breathed.

"Then you tell me what you want me to do to you."

_Sinker._

* * *

*that was line for you, you know who you are ;)

So I accidentally introduced my poor sheltered stepdad to the humour of gen y/z and now he's all mopey and he gave me the puppy dog eyes over the phone yesterday.

Basically, I was telling him about the Green Lanterns cause they my fav group of supers. And I was showing him pictures of each and telling him about the basics, and I showed him Hal and was like, he's my fave.

And he was like, but wait, what about the artist one, he seems nicer

And I was like no, you see, Kyle is entirely too put together as a human being, whereas Hal is a walking train wreck and I can relate to that on a spiritual level

And that was how my stepdad was introduced to generational depression memes

My mum yelled at me cause it made him sad


End file.
